Shadowrun to return on X360?

By Tom Bramwell Published 20 July, 2005

Classic 16-bit RPG reborn as FPS?

Comments from an animator working for Microsoft's internal outfit FASA - the development studio responsible for MechWarrior and MechCommander titles - suggest that the company is currently working on an Xbox 360 successor to classic Super Nintendo and Mega Drive RPG Shadowrun. Microsoft has officially declined to comment.

Speaking on RPG Vault as part of a piece on creating game art, animator Theron Benson said: "I have worked on many projects, ranging from PC games to console, FPS to role-playing. Right now, I am animating for an Xbox 2 project called Shadowrun. It's a first-person shooter based on an old paper RPG of the same name from a couple decades ago."

The original Shadowrun SNES title, later released on the Mega Drive, was developed by Australian outfit Beam Software and published by Data East. It was an isometric cyberpunk real-time RPG effort that was hard to get hold of but extremely popular amongst those who did get hold of it. Apart from a few hopeful rumours about a follow-up there's been little discussion of the property in the period since the game's release in 1993.

Speaking to us this morning, a Microsoft spokesperson said: "We have not made any announcements regarding this particular title and we do not comment on rumours or speculation. What I can say is that we're excited about the quality and quantity of games coming to Xbox 360 and we'll be making more games announcements in the coming weeks and months."

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About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000. Follow him on Twitter.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (22) Latest comment 7 years ago

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  • Putty-Man #1 7 years ago

    This is the best news ever!!!!!!

    Shadowrun was such a classic!!!

  • drumbaby #2 7 years ago

    "It's a first-person shooter based on an old paper RPG of the same name from a couple decades ago."

    Sings: What the world needs now, is....

  • hp_on_toast #3 7 years ago

    Perfect!!! Now all we need is someone to remake Syndicate in 1st person on the next gen (with lots of fully destroyable cities) and I'll be in 16-bitisometriccyberpunkmakeover heaven!!!

  • w00t #4 7 years ago

    Please... don't mess this up.

    If it's a Deus Ex type affair with multiplayer - I might die.

  • Wash #5 7 years ago

    Could be a winner :)

  • Bertie Verified Senior Staff Writer, Eurogamer.net #6 7 years ago

    oh man oh man! I loved Shadowrun!

  • Inigo #7 7 years ago

    I loved this game, one of the few RPGs that i played though mutlple times. Theres not enought cyber punk games out, i can only think of Fallout.

    Was it ever released in this country? I think i had it on import.

  • groovychainsaw #8 7 years ago

    I've got PAL version somewhere i think....
    It was great! Really hope this gets done well, and doesnt become a generic shooter - FPS/RPGs havent been particularily good lately...

  • Putty-Man #9 7 years ago

    Cheers Chummers!!!

  • Abscido #10 7 years ago

    Wow, wasn't expecting that! Let's hope they get the atmosphere right.

    The original Shadowrun SNES title, later released on the Mega Drive

    The Mega Drive Shadowrun was a completely different game, unfortunately, not nearly as good in my opinion. Still an interesting game, but let's hope they base the new Shaowrun on the SNES release.

  • Captain Fetid #11 7 years ago

    /prays.

  • jlaakso #12 7 years ago

    Ooo, this could be very neat. Lots of potential there, even if Shadowrun always was a cheap idea ("D&D with guns";). But there's lots of stuff in it I love.

    However, the FPS angle seems worrisome. Deus Ex already did the FPS-cyberpunk and it only barely worked, despite all its genius. (Haven't played the sequel.) Then again, I'd be cringing more if they said it were a third person adventure...

    I've been playing Thief lately; if the FPS in this case, too, is more in regards to the viewpoint and not the gameplay, they could be on to a winner.

  • Mr_Brown #13 7 years ago

    Heard this rumour ages ago. Thought it was going to be Bungies next game after Halo 2, what I heard anyway. I hope they mean FPS as in Deux Ex or Thief style. If not then I'm not interested in another FPS, theres just too many nowadays, they're getting more boring and average by the second.

  • cardboardMonster #14 7 years ago

    Hope the game doesn't get geeked.

  • Abscido #15 7 years ago

    Anyone else love the music to SNES Shadowrun?

    Some of the best on the system. Whistling the 'street' theme as I write. For anyone looking for one of the coolest 16-bit era songs, the very first one in the game is a contender, when you wake up in the morgue.
    Edited by Abscido at 20/07/05 @ 13:14

  • Bertie Verified Senior Staff Writer, Eurogamer.net #16 7 years ago

    I'd love to see it come back as an RPG, I'm not too pumped up about the prospects of another FPS :/

  • RumpyStumpy #17 7 years ago

    Burncycle on the CDI was the best cyberpunk game ever ;-)

  • Abscido #18 7 years ago

    Big_Bad_Blonde:

    Here's that morgue song for ya. It's only a midi, but it seems to do the trick (can't listen too loudly at the moment ;) ).

  • KraftWerk #19 7 years ago

    New Shadowrun game for Next Gen console? Yay!
    New Shadowrun FPS for Next Gen console? Nay!

    Memento Deus Ex 2.

  • darkmistx #20 7 years ago

    Who wants to bet it'll just end up being another generic fps, that bears almost no resemblance to the original game?

    This has 'cash-in' writen all over it. Bard's Tale anyone?
    Edited by darkmistx at 20/07/05 @ 18:09

  • Scimarad #21 7 years ago

    FPS?? Come on, making an FPS out of Shadowrun is just a waste of a license. Twice as much of a waste if they base it on highly flawed, ultra-grim P&P original...
    Edited by Scimarad at 20/07/05 @ 19:43

  • Markusdragon #22 7 years ago

    Just what X360 needs. A little NeoAnarchy ^_^.